A motivated Novak Djokovic is two wins from a 100th title and aims for success in Saturday's Shanghai Masters semi-final against in-form Taylor Fritz.
The American is on a dominant run in China, where he has not dropped a set, giving him the best shot at breaking his losing streak against the four-time champion in Shanghai.
Match preview
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A shock seemed on the cards when Jakub Mensik came back from a break down against Djokovic to clinch a first-set tiebreak, but the Serbian refocused to secure a 6-7(4), 6-1, 6-4 triumph and advance to a ninth semi-final appearance at the Masters event.
Chasing a 100th title, the 37-year-old is only two victories away from claiming a fifth crown at the ongoing event and securing his first ATP Tour success this season.
Mensik pushed Djokovic to the limit, firing 17 aces and forcing the Serb to drop a set for the first time in the ATP 1000 event; however, the Serb's experience and resilience ultimately prevailed in the nearly two-and-a-half-hour contest.
The upshot of Friday's quarter-final success means the 24-time Grand Slam champion will compete in his 78th Masters 1000 semi-final against Fritz, continuing his impressive comeback following an underwhelming season by his lofty standards, where he recently exited in round three to Alexei Popyrin at the final Major of 2024.
An unblemished record against Saturday's opponent makes him the favourite to face Jannik Sinner or Tomas Machac in Sunday's final, but he must not underrate the 2024 US Open finalist.
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Fritz's first match-up with David Goffin in three years was anticipated to go the distance, with the in-form Belgian already getting the better of two seeded opponents, Lorenzo Musetti and Alexander Zverev, en route to facing the 26-year-old United States player in Friday's last-eight match.
However, the world No. 7 efficiently defeated Goffin 6-3, 6-4 in 82 minutes to book his spot in the semifinals, where he will face the formidable challenge of Djokovic, a player he has never beaten.
Back in another Masters 1000 semi-final this season and a first since reaching the last four on the clay courts of Madrid, Fritz aims to finally get one over his Serbian opponent in Shanghai and secure a different outcome to his two-set loss to Andrey Rublev in that appearance in a last-four ATP 1000 event.
Having advanced to this stage without dropping a set against Terence Atmane, Yosuke Watanuki, Holger Rune, and Goffin, the American No. 1 player faces his toughest test against the former world No. 1.
His only triumph at a Masters tournament came against soon-to-retire Rafael Nadal at Indian Wells two years back, showcasing his adeptness against one of the members of the 'Big Three', and he hopes his current form and 2022 victory over Nadal elevate his confidence ahead of Saturday's semi-final.
Tournament so far
Novak Djokovic:
First round: Bye
Second round: vs. Alex Michelsen 7-6[3] 7-6[9]
Third round: vs. Flavio Cobolli 6-1 6-2
Round of 16: vs. Roman Safiullin 6-3 6-2
Quarter-final: vs. Jakub Mensik 6-7[4] 6-1 6-4
Taylor Fritz:
First round: Bye
Second round: vs. Terence Atmane 7-6(4) 7-6(5)
Third round: vs. Yosuke Watanuki 6-3 6-4
Round of 16: vs. Holger Rune 6-1 6-2
Quarter-final: vs. David Goffin 6-3 6-4
Head To Head
Australian Open (2024) - Quarter-final: Djokovic 7-6(3) 4-6 6-2 6-3
US Open (2023) - Quarter-final: Djokovic 6-1 6-4 6-4
Cincinnati Masters (2023) - Quarter-final: Djokovic 6-0 6-4
ATP Finals (2022) - Semi-final: Djokovic 7-6(5) 7-6(6)
Paris Masters (2021) - Quarter-final: Djokovic 6-4 6-3
Rome Masters (2021) - Round of 32: Djokovic 6-3 7-6(5)
Australian Open (2021) - Third round: Djokovic 7-6(1) 6-4 3-6 4-6 6-2
Madrid Masters (2019) - Round of 32: Djokovic 6-4 6-2
Monte-Carlo Masters (2019) - Round of 16: Djokovic 6-3 6-0
Djokovic holds an incredible 9-0 lead in his head-to-head with the American and seeks a 10th victory over the 26-year-old this weekend.
Fritz has historically struggled against the four-time Shanghai Masters champion, winning only three sets out of 24 against the Serbian superstar.
However, two came in their epic Australian Open five-setter in 2021, when the United States player fought back from two sets down to level the match before Djokovic refocused to clinch the decider.
Fritz enters Saturday's match-up with a 49-19 record and aims to record his 50th victory against an opponent with a 36-8 record before the last-four match.
We say: Djokovic to win in two sets
Despite dropping a set against Mensik, Djokovic is backed to continue his dominance of Fritz with another straight-sets victory to record his 10th triumph over the American.
However, that outcome is contingent on the Serbian not suffering a sustained recurrence of the issue in his left knee that surfaced against Mensik as he bids for another Shanghai final.
